Chapter 245: The Protagonist is Losing it

But competence?

Confidence?

Control?

Someone capable of walking into danger without needing everyone around him to know how dangerous he was?

That...

Was more troublesome.

And Shen Tian had all of it.

Rose glanced back.

He caught her.

Their eyes met.

Rose immediately looked away.

Shen Tian smiled.

She saw it from the corner of her eye.

Her cheeks became warmer.

Damn it.

. . .

Lu Chen saw everything.

Every glance.

Every smile.

Every laugh.

Every second Rose spent talking to Shen Tian.

His anger grew.

Not because Rose belonged to him romantically.

She didn’t.

He knew that.

But...

Rose was his.

His team.

His closest companion.

Someone who had followed him through war.

Someone who respected him.

Someone who had always looked at him as the strongest person in the room.

Now...

She was looking at Shen Tian.

And Lu Chen hated it.

His remaining Fate reacted.

Invisible threads twisted.

Luck moved.

Destiny churned.

The ruins trembled.

Xu Ning immediately looked upward.

[Host.]

Shen Tian’s eyes sharpened.

"What?"

[Something else is happening.]

A system window appeared.

[WARNING!]

Protagonist emotional instability detected.

Fate resonance increasing.

Hidden Opportunity awakening.

Shen Tian slowly smiled.

Xu Ning stared.

[You’re happy.]

"Of course."

[Host...]

Shen Tian looked toward Lu Chen.

The mercenary was furious.

Humiliated.

Jealous.

Unstable.

And apparently...

Heaven had decided to compensate him again.

Shen Tian’s green eyes gleamed.

"Go ahead."

Xu Ning blinked.

[What?]

Shen Tian’s smile widened.

"Get angrier."

He looked toward the shaking ruins.

"Maybe Heaven will give me something else."

. . .

CRAAAAACK!

The battlefield throne split apart.

Everyone turned.

Rose immediately drew her knife.

Ghost raised his weapon.

Bear stepped forward.

Lu Chen froze.

A black light appeared beneath the broken throne.

Xu Ning’s system reacted.

Hidden Chamber Detected.

Hidden Opportunity: General’s Heart

Opportunity Type: Soul Tempering

Original Destiny Requirement: Lu Chen must suffer overwhelming defeat while maintaining his will to surpass the victor.

Shen Tian stared.

Then...

Slowly...

He looked toward Lu Chen.

Then back toward the system.

Silence.

Xu Ning covered her mouth.

Shen Tian’s lips twitched.

[Host...]

"Don’t."

[You literally...]

"Don’t."

Xu Ning’s shoulders shook.

[You unlocked his hidden opportunity by beating him too badly.]

Shen Tian stared.

Then...

He laughed.

Actually laughed.

Lu Chen’s face became murderous.

"What the hell are you laughing about?!"

Shen Tian looked toward him.

His green eyes gleamed with amusement.

"Nothing."

He looked toward the newly opened chamber.

"Absolutely nothing."

Lu Chen followed his gaze.

Then...

His expression changed.

He felt it.

Something inside.

Calling.

To him.

His Fate.

His opportunity.

His chance.

Power.

Lu Chen’s eyes slowly widened.

Finally.

Something else.

Something Shen Tian hadn’t taken yet.

A smile returned to his face.

Shen Tian saw it.

Rose saw it.

Ghost saw it.

Bear saw it.

Lu Chen stepped toward the chamber.

"This..."

He could feel the connection.

"This belongs to me."

Shen Tian’s smile became enormous.

Rose stared.

Then...

Realization hit.

She looked toward Shen Tian.

"No."

Shen Tian glanced over.

"What?"

Rose started laughing.

"No way."

Lu Chen turned.

"What?"

Rose pointed toward Shen Tian.

"You’re going to take it."

Silence.

Shen Tian looked offended.

"Rose."

She laughed harder.

"Don’t even pretend!"

"I’m deeply hurt."

"You’ve done it three times!"

"Coincidence."

"Blood Pool."

"Public property."

"The spear."

"It chose me."

"The inheritance."

"I won."

Rose stared.

Then...

She couldn’t argue.

"...Okay, those are annoyingly good excuses."

"Thank you."

Lu Chen’s face became increasingly red.

"ENOUGH!"

Everyone became silent.

He pointed toward Shen Tian.

"You are not touching this one!"

Shen Tian stared.

Then...

Slowly looked toward Rose.

"He’s doing it again."

Rose covered her mouth.

Her shoulders shook.

Lu Chen looked between them.

Something inside him snapped.

"STOP LAUGHING!"

Rose froze.

The chamber became silent.

Lu Chen’s chest rose and fell.

His eyes were bloodshot.

Rose’s expression slowly changed.

Not amused anymore.

Cold.

"Don’t shout at me."

Lu Chen froze.

"Rose..."

"I said..."

Her eyes narrowed.

"Don’t shout at me."

Bear and Ghost immediately became uncomfortable.

Lu Chen stared.

Then...

His anger redirected.

Toward Shen Tian.

Of course.

[Him.]

Rose heard.

[This is because of him.]

Her jaw tightened.

[Rose never talked to me like that before.]

Rose’s fingers curled.

[Shen Tian is poisoning everyone around me.]

Something inside Rose cooled.

Completely.

Shen Tian hadn’t poisoned anything.

He barely knew her.

He hadn’t told her to abandon Lu Chen.

Hadn’t insulted her commander to her.

Hadn’t manipulated her.

If anything...

Shen Tian had treated her better in a few hours than Lu Chen had recently.

Rose looked toward Shen Tian.

He wasn’t even watching her.

His attention had already moved toward the hidden chamber.

No smug expression.

No victorious smile because she had defended herself.

Nothing.

He wasn’t trying to turn her against Lu Chen.

That realization...

Made her like him more.

Rose sighed.

This man is becoming a problem.

Shen Tian looked over.

"What?"

Rose blinked.

"Did I say that aloud?"

"No."

"...Then why are you looking at me?"

"You sighed dramatically."

She stared.

Then laughed.

"Never mind."

Lu Chen’s eye twitched.

Shen Tian smiled.

Then...

He turned toward the hidden chamber.

"Well."

He rested the Heaven Piercing Spear across his shoulder.

"Let’s see what you found for me this time."

Lu Chen’s face went completely red.

"SHEN TIAAAAAAN!"

Rose burst out laughing.

And somewhere beside Shen Tian...

Xu Ning laughed even harder.

. . .

The hidden passage opened.

Darkness waited beyond.

Ancient Qi spilled outward.

Lu Chen immediately pushed forward.

"No."

He pointed his sword toward Shen Tian.

"I’m going first."

Shen Tian raised an eyebrow.

"Okay."

Lu Chen froze.

"What?"

"Go."

Suspicion appeared.

"You aren’t going to stop me?"

"No."

"Why?"

Shen Tian smiled.

"Someone needs to check for traps."

Silence.

Rose bent forward laughing.

Ghost finally lost it.

Bear turned around because his shoulders were shaking.

Lu Chen stood there.

Completely still.

His face...

Slowly...

Became darker.

Shen Tian gestured toward the tunnel.

"After you."

Lu Chen stared at him.

His eye twitched.

Then...

Again.

And again.

Finally...

He turned.

And entered the darkness.

Shen Tian followed several meters behind.

Rose immediately moved beside Shen Tian.

He glanced toward her.

"You’re coming?"

Rose smiled.

"Absolutely."

"Why?"

She looked toward Lu Chen’s back.

Then...

Toward Shen Tian.

A playful smile appeared.

"Because at this point..."

She shrugged.

"...I really want to see what you steal next."

Shen Tian laughed.

Rose smiled.

And ahead of them...

Lu Chen heard every single word.

His hand tightened around his sword.

Veins appeared across his forehead.

Tonight...

Was rapidly becoming the worst night of his life.

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(Author’s Note: IMPORTANT!)

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